Chapter 527: Tan Sheng's Choice

As Feng Yuechan had stated, Lu Ye's actions were not merely a display of fleeting courage. When he embarked on his escape path alone, he already had a plan in mind, primarily to avoid implicating his companions.

A powerful ninth-level cultivator like Tan Sheng was certainly not someone the three of them could jointly contend with.

To survive, he needed to endure the pursuit for as long as possible. Once the hunting ground closed, he could then journey to the nearest Heavenly Secret Alliance, where he would be safe.

Since the hunting ground could close at any moment, Lu Ye's immediate priority was to stall for time.

After messaging Li Baxian, Lu Ye immediately utilized the teleportation arrays multiple times to maximize the distance between himself and Tan Sheng.

After four such teleportations, they were already several hundred miles apart.

At the last teleportation array, Lu Ye could no longer detect any other teleportation points.

Although he had set up numerous teleportation arrays, many had been damaged over time, leaving only a few intact.

Without hesitation, Lu Ye exited the cave where the teleportation point was located, immediately soaring on his artifact and heading directly in the opposite direction from his previous path.

He dared not fly too high or create too much commotion. In this hunting ground, Tan Sheng was not his only enemy; all cultivators from the Myriad Demon Ridge were adversaries.

With his senses heightened to the maximum, he constantly monitored his surroundings, ready to hide at the slightest sign of movement.

After more than an hour, Lu Ye finally stopped and began setting up new teleportation arrays.

A sufficient number of teleportation arrays was crucial for him to evade Tan Sheng and his allies, so he needed to set up as many as he could.

As he was setting up the arrays, hundreds of miles away, Tan Sheng and the Jiang brothers were rapidly heading towards his location, guided by a tracking compass.

With his formidable ninth-level cultivation, Tan Sheng naturally moved with less caution than Lu Ye, making his speed significantly faster.

By the time Lu Ye finished setting up the new teleportation array, the distance between them had narrowed to less than four hundred miles.

However, Tan Sheng's expression was grim. Despite tracking this far, he had yet to find any trace of Lu Yiye.

It made no sense. A third-level cultivator, no matter how fast, couldn't possibly outpace him. He had only been delayed by the trapping array for less than twenty breaths; there was no reason he shouldn't have caught up.

If the tracking compass hadn't consistently pointed in that direction, he would have almost suspected it was malfunctioning.

As the distance between them continued to shrink, the light on the tracking compass began to turn red, deepening in color with every mile they closed.

Then, at a certain moment, Jiang Liuzi, who had been intently watching the tracking compass, suddenly exclaimed, "Within ten miles!"

Simultaneously, at the teleportation array, Lu Ye, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them.

That intense sensation of being watched had returned.

In other words, his pursuers were now very close to his current location.

They had arrived incredibly fast!

Without hesitation, Lu Ye immediately activated the teleportation array, vanishing instantly. He then relentlessly teleported multiple times, returning to his original starting location.

Li Baxian and Feng Yuechan were no longer there. After Lu Ye's departure, there was no reason for them to remain. Since they couldn't activate the teleportation arrays, being cornered by powerful cultivators would leave them with no chance of escape. Thus, they had left shortly after Lu Ye.

They were now quietly hidden in a secluded spot, waiting for the hunting ground to close.

Like Lu Ye, they were accustomed to being hunted and were well-versed in the art of concealment. Moreover, Feng Yuechan possessed a spirit umbrella artifact, ensuring their safety unless they were extremely unlucky and directly stumbled upon.

In mid-air, Jiang Liuzi, who had been staring at the tracking compass, suddenly froze after speaking, gazing at the device in his hand with a bewildered expression.

The compass, which had previously glowed with a deep crimson light, had now reverted to its original appearance. What's more, the pointer, which had been indicating forward, had suddenly swung to point backward.

"What... what just happened?" Jiang Liuzi was utterly bewildered.

"What's wrong?"

Tan Sheng, who was flying ahead, sensed something was amiss and stopped.

"Senior Brother Tan, the pointer's direction has changed," Jiang Liuzi said, steeling himself.

"Changed again?" Tan Sheng's face fell. He quickly moved forward to check and confirmed that the pointer's direction had indeed changed; it was now pointing back in the direction they had come from.

Frowning in thought for a moment, he looked at Jiang Liuzi. "Has this tracking compass been jostled or bumped?"

Although the tracking compass was a treasure, it wasn't particularly sturdy. If it were bumped or jostled, it could easily be damaged and lose its tracking ability.

Hearing Tan Sheng's question, Jiang Liuzi realized that not only did he suspect the tracking compass was broken, but Tan Sheng shared the same concern.

"It hasn't been bumped," Jiang Liuzi replied, shaking his head.

Jiang Chengzi, standing nearby, interjected, "Senior Brother Tan, the tracking compass should be fine; otherwise, it wouldn't have precisely located Lu Yiye's position earlier. The problem might be with Lu Yiye himself."

Tan Sheng considered this and realized it made sense. They had indeed used the tracking compass to locate Lu Yiye previously. Unfortunately, they had been blocked by his trapping array and failed to kill him. But since it had successfully located him, the tracking compass itself was likely not the issue.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know, but I wonder if he possesses some method that allows him to instantly teleport hundreds of miles?"

"Nonsense! What Cloud River Realm cultivator could possess such incredible means?"

"Then he must be using some kind of treasure?"

Otherwise, there's no way to explain Lu Yiye's peculiar movements. The tracking compass clearly pointed forward, and they were on the verge of catching him, yet he suddenly appeared behind them.

Tan Sheng frowned in deep thought. He had to admit that, while Jiang Chengzi's deduction seemed unrealistic, it was the explanation that best fit the current situation.

Lu Yiye hailed from the Bloodfiend Sect in Bingzhou. Over thirty years ago, it was one of the dominant sects in the Nine Provinces. Even though it had since declined, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse—who knew what hidden resources it might still possess? If there truly existed a treasure capable of instantly traversing hundreds of miles, it wasn't entirely impossible for him to have it.

However, Tan Sheng had never even heard of such a treasure, making it difficult for him to confirm its existence.

"If he's using the power of some treasure, he surely can't activate it frequently. Senior Brother Tan, I believe we just need to keep tracking him and prevent him from shaking us off. Sooner or later, we'll corner him."

"Keep chasing!" Tan Sheng, fuming, immediately changed direction and headed back the way they had come.

On the hunt list, his ranking had already dropped to third place, which greatly frustrated him. He had initially believed that with the tracking compass, he could easily deal with Lu Yiye, securing a large bounty and topping the hunt list.

As it turned out, not only had he failed to kill Lu Yiye, but his hunt list ranking had also fallen. He had truly lost everything.

However, with things as they were, it was no longer possible for him to gain hunt points and contend for the top spot on the hunt list. Compared to the hunt list rewards, the bounty for slaying Lu Yiye was undoubtedly more enticing.

A day later, in a valley, the three of them—Tan Sheng and the Jiang brothers—sat cross-legged, silently recuperating.

The Jiang brothers wore grim expressions, while Tan Sheng's face was so dark it looked as if water might drip from it.

The reason was simple: for the past day and night, they had followed the tracking compass's guidance, going back and forth along the same route over a dozen times, yet they hadn't even caught a glimpse of Lu Yiye.

Often, just as they were about to approach their target, the pointer's direction would suddenly reverse, forcing them to turn around and continue the pursuit.

Even Tan Sheng, a ninth-level cultivator, was nearing his limit after a day and night of relentless tracking. The Jiang brothers were even worse off, their spiritual power depleted and their faces pale.

If they didn't recover soon, they wouldn't even have enough spiritual power to fly on their artifacts.

Why couldn't they find Lu Yiye? The three of them racked their brains but couldn't comprehend it.

Did Lu Yiye really possess some treasure that could instantly move hundreds of miles? If that were true, they would never be able to catch him.

With such a treasure, he could easily escape as long as he wasn't completely surrounded.

But did such a treasure truly exist in this world?

The Jiang brothers exchanged uneasy glances. They had gotten Tan Sheng involved, hoping to do him a favor and gain some benefits. Instead, they hadn't seen any advantages, and the three of them were being played like monkeys.

On the hunt list, Tan Sheng's ranking had now dropped to fourth place, and Lu Yiye had also fallen to second. Both continued to drop as time passed.

With one pursuing and the other fleeing, neither had the time to accumulate hunt points.

Tan Sheng sat apart, raising his hand to tap his battle imprint, seemingly sending a message to someone.

After a while, he finally looked up at Jiang Liuzi, extending his hand. "Give me the tracking compass!"

Jiang Liuzi immediately understood his intention. "Senior Brother Tan, do you intend to use its other ability?"

Tan Sheng nodded. "Is there any other way to find Lu Yiye besides that?"

"But if that's the case, Senior Brother Tan, the one who kills Lu Yiye might not be you." As soon as Jiang Liuzi finished speaking, he immediately realized, "Senior Brother Tan, were you just contacting other powerful cultivators in the hunting ground?"

Tan Sheng nodded. "I've already spread the word and reached an agreement with them. Regardless of who ultimately kills Lu Yiye, I will receive twenty percent of the bounty, and your share will come from my portion!"

Under the previous agreement, the two brothers were to receive twenty percent of the bounty. However, with the new terms, they would only get a fraction of that twenty percent—a significant difference.

Jiang Liuzi was naturally a bit unwilling and began, "Senior Brother Tan, we don't necessarily have to go this far..."

"There's no time!" Tan Sheng interrupted him. "The hunting ground has been open for seventeen days and could close at any moment. If we can't kill Lu Yiye before it closes, all our previous efforts will be for naught. Besides, I've already spread the word, and they're waiting. Giving you a share of my twenty percent is not a small amount; don't be too greedy!"

He had staked the hunt list rewards on this endeavor. Now, with his ranking continuously falling, he could no longer hope for the rewards from first or second place. Such losses could only be compensated by killing Lu Yiye.

Jiang Liuzi sighed. He knew that Tan Sheng had made his stance clear, and any further persuasion from him would be futile. Despite his reluctance, he could only hand over the tracking compass.